A Dream Put on Hold

Philly Hoops Talk author, Christian Hetrick also writes for the news blog, “Taking the Ride.” In his latest post for TTR, Hetrick talks to NBA undrafted free-agent, Xavier Silas on the struggles an undrafted free agent faces eith the NBA in a lockout. 

Undrafted free agent, Xaxier Silas must wait until the lockout is lifted to sign with a NBA team.

Xavier Silas watched it all unfold from his home in Austin, Texas.

With family and friends by his side, the former Northern Illinois guard watched pick, after pick, after pick go by in June’s NBA Draft. Silas was expecting to be picked; in just the month of June alone, Silas worked out for the Nets, Celtics, Sixers, Bulls, and Warriors. But when draft day came on June 23rd, and went on June 24th, all thirty teams passed him up.”There were multiple teams interested, but they all went in other directions” Silas said.

Despite not being drafted, there was still plenty of optimism in the Silas household. “The Sixers called my agent during the last pick and told him they didn’t want me to go to Europe or anything. They said they wanted me to come into their camp because they really liked me. There picks were [big men], so I knew they weren’t just blowing smoke. They gave me an official camp invite two seconds after the draft. I had no time to be sad” Silas said.

For undrafted free agents, the road to the NBA is a difficult one. No contracts, no promises, no guarantees; just a try out. Undrafted free agents, like Silas, have to beat out players that a team may have already made a commitment to –players who have either been drafted or signed to a contract. It’s not impossible though, especially for Silas. Silas was the leading scorer for the Huskies, averaging 22.3 points per game during his senior season at Northern Illinois. He is a natural scorer, scoring at least 20 points seventeen times last year, and scoring at least 30 points seven times. He is easily one of the best undrafted free agents on the market, and if the NBA has a season this year, Silas certainly won’t stay on the market too long.

But the “if” in that last sentence is what makes Silas’ already difficult road to the NBA even more rigid.

Read more on Taking the Ride.

Backs Against the Wall

Philly Hoops Talk author, Christian Hetrick is also an author for the news blog, “Taking the Ride.” In his latest post for TTR, Hetrick discusses today’s last day for negotiations and the impending NBA Lockout.

Today is Game 7 for NBA.

With the CBA set to expire on Friday, today is the players and owners last chance to get a deal done before the NBA follows the NFL’s foot steps into a lockout. But after meeting twice a week for most of the month of June, both sides are just as far apart as they were when they first started. They still disagree on every major issue from player salaries to a league salary cap.

Both sides will be under a lot of pressure when they meet twelve hours before the CBA expires. If no progress is made the league may enter it’s first lockout since the 1998-99 season when the season was shortened to 50 games. However, even if a deal is not done the owners may decide to not lock the players out if they feel that they are close to a deal.

You like that optimism there? If talks go well today owners may let talks continue past the deadline. That sounds nice. Ready for me to shoot down that optimism?

ESPN.com says there is a possibility the players may decide not to come up with a different proposal because they think their previous one, one that reduces player salaries by $500 million over five years, is good enough.

Translation? Expect a lockout.

Not saying the impending lockout is only on the players though. There is plenty of blame to go around. The owners are too stubborn to accept the players’ current proposal and are probably too stubborn to accept any other proposal that is less than what their asking for. On the other hand, the players are too stubborn to come up with a new one, so now you may have two of the four major sports missing games this Fall.

And what is Commissioner David Stern doing about all of this? Doing his best Roger Goodell impersonation which means doing nothing. Just like Goodell, he’s good at not answering questions. When asked what will happen if a deal doesn’t get done today he answered:

“We’re not going to negotiate in the media,” Stern said after a Tuesday meeting with owners. “We haven’t before, we’re not going to do it now. We’re looking forward to having our discussion with the players.”

To finish reading Hetrick’s column, click here.

Lockout Might Kill 76ers’ Growth and Momentum

The ensuing lockout, staring down the NBA, could devastate the young Philadelphia 76ers’ growth process.

Even though every team will have to deal with the same issue, the pause in activity could hurt the Sixers just as much as any other team.

Winning is valuable for their roster, but not as valuable as the experience of getting out on the court and logging minutes. The young guns on the Sixers and in the league are starving for a taste of the NBA.

A leash is holding the 76ers in place; and this time, I’m not talking about Andre Iguodala or his hideous contract. I’m talking about the team’s overall lack of experience.

Gaining experience should be the most important objective for Philadelphia’s fledgling roster. You can’t gain experience or knowledge sitting at home and playing NBA 2K12, rather than a 48-minute contest against the world’s best.

Winners will be winners and losers will continue their clumsy doggy paddle in the deep end. The 76ers are standing in the shallow end, but their legs are shaky. Experience will strengthen their core.

If a year is wasted, it won’t only be a speed bump in the road; It’ll be a spike strip, deflating every bit of momentum that the 76ers have in their back pocket.

Although they were nationally labeled as breakfast, they were hocked up and spit out as LeBron choked. At least Philadelphia still has their dignity and they gained the league’s respect after battling the soon-to-be eastern conference champions.

They’re riding high and who knows what roster moves they’ll make this offseason. Let’s just hope they play some basketball again soon.

Iguodala to Minnesota for the Number-Two Pick?

University of Arizona forward, Derrick Williams

The 76ers may be pursuing the number-two pick in the 2011 Draft, according to a general manager in the NBA.

Sam Amick, NBA writer for Sports Illustrated, wrote the following in an article posted on Wednesday, June 22:

Iguodala is in play for Minnesota as well, according to a rival general manager who called the possibility of the Sixers acquiring the No. 2 pick in a package for their 27-year-old swingman “definitely real.” The Timberwolves have been seeking a high-level veteran in exchange for the second selection in Thursday’s draft and other pieces.

If a deal does happen to go through, expect the Sixers to receive Minnesota’s 21-year-old guard, Johnny Flynn, along with the number-two pick.

According to most mock drafts and NBA analysts, it looks like the Cleveland Cavaliers will take Kyrie Irving with the number-one pick, leaving Derrick Williams for the Sixers.

The likelihood of Philadelphia owning the second pick two years in a row isn’t very high, but you have to like the alleged aggressiveness the Sixers’ front office is showing.

Williams’ game is much like Iguodala’s, being that they are both flashy swing men, so some may not see much sense in the deal, but think again; they would still own pick 16.

The addition of Flynn, Williams and the 16th pick in the draft would be the start of an amazing offseason.

The Lockout No One is Really Talking About

Philly Hoops Talk author Christian Hetrick is also an author and co founder of the new blog, “Taking the Ride.” In his latest post for Taking the Ride, Hetrick discusses how the potential NBA Lockout that hasn’t gotten enough attention. 

There will be a black cloud looming over the NBA Draft this Thursday.

NBA Commissioner David Stern will try to prevent a potential lockout Tuesday

It’s the same black cloud that hovered over this year’s exciting NBA Finals, and looks eerily similar to the black cloud that hung over the Super Bowl before the NFL Lockout. This black cloud is the potential NBA Lockout.

That’s right the N-B-A Lockout, not the NFL one that has been engulfed by this dark cloud for nearly a hundred days. I’m talking about the one that hasn’t happened yet. While ESPN is spending their air time telling me how great the NBA finals were (which they were), and talking about how this NBA Draft class is one of the weakest ever (which it is), no one seems to be talking about the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement that expires July 1^st.

Unlike the NFL Lockout, which was noted and talked about for almost a year in advance, most casual sports fans have had little to no idea what was happening until fairly recently. It’s the giant elephant in the room that seemingly no one wants to talk about. It’s stomping all over Commissioner David Stern’s office, breaking all the furniture and blowing water out of its trunk all over NBA owners, players, and coaches, while all the media outlets just seem to look the other way and pretend it’s not there.

To finish reading the column on Taking the Ride, click here.

Follow Christian Hetrick on Twitter: @TheNatch_

Sixers expected to extend qualifying offers to Young and Hawes

Center Spencer Hawes started in 81 games and averaged 7.2 ppg. His teammate Thaddeus Young played in all 82 games, averaging12.7 ppg.

According to Dei Lynam of CSN Philly, the Sixers plan to extend qualifying offers to Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes. The Sixers have until June 30th to make qualifying offers to restricted free agents.

This means the Sixers will have seven days to match any offer another team makes towards either player, AND if no other team makes an offer, both players will play the 2011-12 season with the Sixers and gets paid the $4 million qualifying offer.

Both players become free agents July 1st, but that is also the same day the CBA expires, so who knows what will happen from there.

The offer to Young is no shocker to Sixers’ fans, but a few may be surprised about the offer to Hawes. Just because the Sixers made a qualifying offer to Hawes doesn’t mean the Sixers will not address their need for a big man in the draft. The move just allows them a chance to match any offer made towards Hawes if they want to, but personally I would be surprised if they did.

In other news, the Sixers will hold another Pre-Draft workout tomorrow morning. No big names, just guys expected to be picked in the second round or later. This will be the sixth Pre-Draft workout the Sixers have held so far this off season.

Follow Christian Hetrick on Twitter: @TheNatch_

Xavier Silas works out with Sixers today, finds time to answer our questions

Xavier Silas was one of five players who worked out for the Sixers Wednesday morning.

Before I write anything else, let me say one thing: Xavier Silas is the man. After working out with the Sixers today, Silas was generous enough to answer a few of my questions, and for that I have a lot of respect for him. It is one thing to find time for someone from The Daily News or Inquirer, but to find time to answer questions for a small sports blog that doesn’t make any money shows how good of a person he is, and for that we thank him.

As mentioned yesterday, the Sixers held another Pre-Draft workout this morning. The five players invited were Tyler Honeycutt (UCLA), Markieff Morris (Kansas), Antonio Pena (Villanova), Eniel Polynice (Seton Hall), and of course, Xavier Silas (Northern Illinois).

Silas has been a very busy man this summer. In just the month of June alone Silas will workout for the Nets, Celtics, Sixers, Bulls, and Warriors, so I wanted to ask him a few questions about the workouts.

Me: What exactly went on during today’s Pre-Draft workout? What kind of drills did they make you run? What kind of questions did they ask? Did they measure you up? 

Silas: They measured and then we did basic skill drills. Got some shots up. Nothing too major they already know what you can do.

Me: Obviously the point of the workout is for the team to evaluate you and get an impression on you, but what was your impression of the Sixers?

Silas: The sixers are a great organization. So much history there. It was a great experience

Me: And finally, how has this summer been for you so far with the travel and different Pre-Draft workouts? Stressful? Fun? Exciting?

Silas: We fly around so much it’s a crazy process, but it’s a blessing to be doing it so all I do is go as hard as I can. No regrets!!!

Once again we thank Silas for fitting us in to his busy schedule. He is definitely a class act, and we wish him the best of luck in the NBA wherever he goes. But honestly though, Philly Hoops Talk will have a harder time wishing him luck if he goes to the Celtics, so let’s hope he just comes to the Sixers and makes thing easier.

You can follow Silas on Twitter: @XavierSilas which I highly recommend. He is a nice guy and will answer a lot of questions from his followers.

You can follow Christian Hetrick on Twitter: @TheNatch_

Sixers to hold another Pre-Draft workout Wednesday morning.

According to The Inquirer‘s Kate Fagan, the Sixers will hold another Pre-Draft workout Wednesday morning. This is the fifth Pre-Draft workout so far, and the Sixers have invited five players to attend Wednesday’s workout. Those players are Tyler Honeycutt (UCLA), Markieff Morris (Kansas), Antonio Pena (Villanova), Eniel Polynice (Seton Hall), and Xavier Silas (Northern Illinois). By the way Mr. Silas follows me on twitter, so for that I provide this link to have all of you guys follow him.

Since I have been boring all of you with this Pre-Draft workout nonsense, (not my fault, but there is no real news at all this time of year in the NBA unless your team was just in the Finals, or Allen Iverson decides to open his mouth) I figured I’d give you guys some insight into what exactly happens at a Pre-Draft workout. Since I am just a guy sitting in my underwear with no real credentials or access to a Pre-Drat workout, I’ll have Miss (Mrs.?) Fagan explain what happens.

The Sixers already have the measurements from various combines and workouts, but it’s always helpful to see the results up close and personal. When we walked into the gym during one of the workouts last week, there was a height and vertical measurement system still plastered to the corner wall of the court. The last 45 minutes are spent going through drills. If all of the guys are basically the same position, the coaches will take them through a drill. For example, one of the assistants might ask them to make a cut to the elbow, front pivot, and shoot a mid-range jumper. All of the prospects would go through that specific drill a few times and then they’d change the move. Make a cut across the lane to the mid-block, catch on a jump stop and drop step to the rim. And so on and so forth.

So there you have it. To see the rest of Kate Fagan’s explanation on the Pre-Draft workouts click here.

Follow Christian Hetrick on Twitter: @TheNatch_